Improvement in open-front stoves and fire-plages



JAMES G. HUNT.

Improvement in Open Front Stoves and Fireplaces. NO. 115,476 I Patented May 30,1871.

PATENT @rrron.

- JAMES G. HUNT, OF CINCINNATI, OHIO.

IMPROVEMENT IN OPEN-FRONT STOVES AND FIRE-PLACES.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 115,476, dated May 30, 1871.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JAMES Gr. HUNT, of

Cincinnati, in the county of Hamilton and State of Ohio, have invented anew and useful Improvement in the Mode of Constructing Grates, Fire-Places, and Furnaces to produce The nature of my invention consists in providing. above the ordinary fire a receptacle for incandescent coals, through which the car bonaceous matter (soot) and partially-oxidized hydrocarbureted gases (at least fifty per cent. of the fuel, and which ordinarily escape and pass off, forming a nuisance -oide Pittsburg) are compelled to pass, and arethere burned,

thereby preventing a waste of fuel and a nuisance, particularly in the burning of bituminous coal. To enable others skilled in theart to make use of my invention, I will proceed to describe its construction and operation. s

Figure I is a front view of my invention as arranged in an ordinary grate. Fig. II is a section of the same; it may be used in an ordinary fire-place or in an open stove, and 0 any desired pattern. l

- In Figs. I and II A is an ordinary grate, where the usual imperfect combustion of coal takes place. Abovethis is placed B, another grate, the smoke consumer. This may be made of various shapes or patterns, and may project or recede from the front of the stove or fire-place, according to the wish of the maker. I do not. confine myself to any particular form. Immediately behindB there is an air-chamber, G, which is tightly inclosed on the top and all'sides, except at the bottom, from which the air enters either underneath the grateor from theback or sides. In this it is from the front, underneath the grate, as

is shown at E 'andthe front D, which is made of iron or tile,perforated by rows of holes, ex-

tending from even with or just below the bottom of the grate B for several inches upward.

The fire having beenbuilt' in grate A, as usual, the smoke-consumer, grate B, is filled with incandescentcoals- The usual imperfect combustion takes place in A, leaving the unconsumedcarbonaceous matter to rise; but

instead of passing off up the chimney, a loss and a nuisance, as usual, in passing through the incandescent coals inthe grate B, further combustion takes place, which is made more perfect by the fresh air from the air-chamber coming through the holes of the front D, intimately mingling with and supplying the necessary oxygen for perfect combustion. The gases and carbonaceous matter thus consumed very materiallyincrease the heat that is thrown into the room, and fuel is thus economized and the nuisance of soot abated. In keeping up the fire, when a fresh supply of coal is needed, enough of the live coals from grate A are added to those'already in grate B to keep up the supply, and the fresh coal is placed, as usual, in grate A. The volatile unconsumed products in rising are intercepted, as before described, before escaping, and thus is obtained the long sought desideratum-an open fire with almost perfect combustion, economy of fuel, and cleanliness. It is also found that this arrangement is admirable to improve the draft of chimneys, and keep them clean and free from taking fire, by removing the causethe soot.

It will be seen that this invention is entirely different in principle and action from any of those devices of tile or plate which have sometimes heretofore been placed over the firebasket of a grate to catch .the flame and smoke and give them a downward tendency, and which have proved so futile as smoke-consumers. It also obviates any necessity for deep fire-baskets where a large quantity of coal is consumed, so placed that most of the heat cannot be radiated. By it, instead of the I radiation of heat into the room from one fire,

as usual, we have the radiation from a second,

obtained by the burning of the smoke and gases which have heretofore escaped up the chimney, really duplicating the heat. This invention is applicable to closed stoves, and also to furnaces under boilers, as exhibited in Fig. III.

The value of the saving in coal by the use of this improvement applied to furnaces may be learned by estimating the millions of bushels used in the Ohio valley alone for the man ufacture of steam; while a vigorous imagination can only conceive the vastness of the pleasure and saving to the people in the wear grate A and receptacle B, located relatively to each other, and operating in the manner described.

2. The air-chamber G, perforated back D, and. receptacle B, when combined and operating as described.

JAMES G. HUNT.

Witnesses:

JOHN H. CHATTEN, JAMES M. LAWSON. 

